As a full-time writer, I am in need of good writing apps. I reviewed JotterPad back in early 2012, and found it to be solid but not something that I would perhaps use regularly.

Now, the year is 2014. My life is quite different, and I now carry around an Xperia Z Ultra, which I am generously calling a phone because it’s really more of a “tablet that can make phone calls” and have a folding Bluetooth keyboard I usually carry in my bag with me. I’d love an app for writing on the Ultra, because the screen is big enough for it, but I was lacking a good app: I usually would use my Surface Pro or iPad Mini to write, and I have good options on those: Writemonkey and Byword, respectively. But now, I think JotterPad X, two and a half years later, is the writing app that I need for Android.

It starts with the look: it’s very clean, and has fantastic support for custom fonts: I use an evenly-spaced font as I like everything being lined up. There’s custom sizing options, and a night mode for writing in dark situations that inverts the colors. I would like custom background coloring: I read that using a mint green background can be more calming to write with, and it’s what I use with Writemonkey on PC. The app goes into a distraction-free mode with notifications where new ones won’t appear, so you’re not bothered while writing.

There’s Bluetooth keyboard support, which is granted, but there’s keyboard shortcuts which make it easy to do many things without having to touch the screen. There’s even a keyboard shortcut for referencing the list of keyboard shortcuts. For those who type on screen, there’s an extended keyboard which offers access to useful characters without having to change to the numbers and symbols section of software keyboards, which includes several characters for markdown formatting. And the app does support viewing markdown formatting natively for those who use that.

One of my big complaints about the original JotterPad was the lack of Dropbox support. JotterPad X has Dropbox support. It’s possible to load files from Dropbox, or just to work locally and then move files to Dropbox later, which is handy because syncing can be a bit slow.

One of the other handy features? Versions. JotterPad X saves multiple versions of each file, so if you need to go back to a previous one, you can. It’s handy, even if only as a backup mechanism if you accidentally make a change elsewhere that you need to revert.

Some of JotterPad X’s features, like night mode, markdown preview, and version restoring, are only available by purchasing the Creative mode in-app purchase; these features are well worth it, though: the app gives a lot away for free. While it’s not perfect: the Dropbox syncing could be faster, and I’d like to see more options for sorting, or at least bookmarks so I can quickly access the folders I write in, this is a writing app that I am quite comfortable doing my writing work in, and that comfort is a great thing.